


Janus

by codefiant



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alien Keith (Voltron), Assassin Keith, Assassination Plot(s), Becoming The Mask, Double Agents, Dysphoria, Espionage, Fake Marriage, Galra Keith (Voltron), Long Lost/Secret Relatives, M/M, Major Character Injury, Murder, Nobility, Parenthood, Pregnancy, Princes & Princesses, Regicide, Shapeshifting, Space Politics, Spy Keith, Teen Pregnancy, Trans Keith (Voltron), Trans Male Character, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-08
Updated: 2016-08-13
Packaged: 2018-08-07 08:53:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7708744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/codefiant/pseuds/codefiant
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Galra Empire rejoiced at the return of Princess Krizan, the long-lost daughter of Prince Lotor and now sole heir of Emperor Zarkon, Ruler of the Known Universe, long may he live, etc. Princess Krizan herself was exhilarated to reclaim her birthright and stand at her grandfather's side, for who would not want to be the heir to the known universe?</p><p>Princess Krizan smiled because she was happy to be home. Underneath the face of the Princess, Keith smiled because everything was going according to plan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So procellous and I were discussing ideas about Keith going undercover in the Galra Empire and procellous knows my plot kinks way too well and next thing I knew I had written 12k in ten days. This fic is basically done and the first chapter is nice and perfect, but I want to give the other two a little more time to percolate. They'll be up in two weeks max, and that's only if work absolutely kills me in the interim.

That night, they loved like they had never loved before.

Once Lance was deep in sleep, Keith extracted himself from the bed and got dressed. He left behind his jacket. It was too distinctive. And his binder would have been an added complication. He didn't need added complications, especially when he didn't know how galra felt about such things.

He desperately wanted to kiss Lance goodbye. But he couldn't risk waking him.

The shuttle was ready and waiting for him in the hanger bay. It was a silent take-off, all of the alerts that would have woken up the others being turned off.

The wormhole opened before him, and he jumped.

* * *

He deposited the shuttle in the jungle, where no one would find it for a while. He covered it with brush to help hide it. As he left the hidden shuttle, he felt his own disguise melt away.

In the small spaceport he had landed near, he negotiated passage to a planet in another system. In the next, much larger spaceport, he purchased a ship with much of the remainder.

He charted his course for the center of the Galra Empire, and didn't look back.

* * *

He got much further than he had expected to before he was boarded. “I wish to speak with Emperor Zarkon,” he told the captain.

The captain glared down at him. “Emperor Zarkon does not speak to mutts.”

Keith tilted his head back imperiously and made the biggest gamble of his life. “Emperor Zarkon wishes to speak with me, though he does not know it yet. Tell him that Lotor's daughter has returned to her home.”

* * *

Emperor Zarkon was overjoyed at the return of his granddaughter and only heir.

“You must understand why I had to do it, Krizan,” he explained. “She couldn't be trusted, not with one so precious as you. It is truly terrible that your father did not see it that way.”

Keith sipped at the flute of alcohol, every inch a princess. “Of course, Grandfather. I understand completely.”

“If only he had seen what I had seen, you could have grown up here amongst your equals.”

Keith smiled a smile that hid everything. “A true pity. Indeed, I did not have the upbringing that you would have wished for me. But there is time enough for that, now that we are reunited.”

Zarkon smiled widely “Indeed.” He stood, raising his glass. “A toast! To the return of my heir, and the continuance of my line!”

Keith watched carefully as the generals and nobility toasted, noting every reaction.

* * *

The wormhole was logged in the Castle's computers, and once they were in the right system the signal from the shuttle was loud and clear, and it was found quite easily.

The nearby spaceport was the obvious place to look for clues. But with so much of the population in transit, it would be a lucky break to find any information as to Keith's whereabouts. Still, they asked all of the aliens who lived and worked in the spaceport if they had seen anyone matching Keith's description, or come from the direction of where the shuttle was hidden.

“I did see one strange person come from that way,” a guard answered. “A galra woman, a mutt by the looks of it.”

“That's not who we're looking for,” Shiro snapped.

* * *

Keith's altean blood was cause for dissent, but being favored by Zarkon meant that no one voiced it.

It had been so long since he had worn his true form that it had gone through puberty without him. The fuzz of a young galra had been replaced with adult hair, though Keith's was thinner than the others. The thick hair over his cheekbones had come in well enough, and the claws of an adult were sharper than he had realized.

He didn't show his displeasure at what he saw. That way lay too many questions, an added complication. He was Princess Krizan, heir to the throne of the Galra Empire, and he had to look the part.

Lessons took up Keith's days, on everything that he would have known if he had grown up in Zarkon's court. In the evening he dined with Zarkon, who questioned him on his studies. When he passed muster in all the skills that would be required by such an event, Zarkon held a ball in his honor. Before they made their entrance together, Keith on Zarkon's arm, Zarkon pulled him aside for a grandfather-granddaughter talk. “I know that that you have only been back with us a short time, and that it is very early to speak of such things, but I wish you to pay special notice to those who might court you. Someday you will need to choose a husband, and it is never too early to start assessing your options.”

Keith nodded obediently. “Of course, Grandfather.”

In a gown of the deepest reds that was worth more than anything Keith had owned before in his life, and with his grown-out hair styled elaborately, he mingled in the ballrooms, dancing with the young men and chatting up the old. He could tell that many were displeased by Zarkon accepting him as his heir, but too wary of attracting Zarkon's own displeasure to voice it. He made mental notes of those who did not appear displeased, and those who appeared the worst at hiding it.

He woke to nausea in the morning, and barely made it to the toilet in time. After he was done vomiting he scooted back to the wall in the ridiculously large bathroom, trying to remember how many drinks he had had.

* * *

His illness did not go away for long.

Four days later, instead of attending court as he was expected to now that he had been officially introduced as Emperor Zarkon's heir, he was kneeling on the floor of the en suite, trying to figure out what it was that was disagreeing with him between heaves. He had figured that after getting used to the Castle's food goo, he could eat anything. Apparently he was wrong. He begged off dinner with Zarkon, sending Shyorza, his lady-in-waiting, to inform the emperor of his apologies.

Two weeks after the ball, Zarkon came to check on him himself. When Shyorza let him into the sitting room Keith was lounging on the divan, sipping from a cool glass of water. “Your attendance in court and at your lessons has become spotty. I do hope you are not avoiding them on purpose.”

Keith swallowed the water in his mouth, enjoying the taste of something other than stomach acid. “I apologize, Grandfather. I seem to have picked up some sort of stomach illness. I will resume regular attendance as soon as I can.”

Zarkon kneeled before the divan, and took Keith's free hand in his. “I worry about you, Krizan,” Zarkon said softly. Keith hadn't known Zarkon could _do_ softly. “That horrible life you must have had, after your father died. I want you to be healthy and happy. Promise me that if this goes on much longer, you will see a doctor.”

“Yes Grandfather,” Keith said. “I promise.”

* * *

Lance laid the items out on the bed. The jacket. The binder. The bayard. The empty, knife-shaped space. He didn't understand.

Keith only took the knife when he was absolutely sure there was no chance of losing it. All Lance knows is that Keith got it from his father. Not even he's ever gotten a close look at it, Keith is so protective of it.

If Keith had decided to leave Voltron without telling anybody, then that would explain why he'd left the bayard. But Lance liked to think that Keith wouldn't just sneak off in the night without telling anyone goodbye. Without telling him goodbye.

Keith loved that jacket. He wasn't half as attached to it as he was to the knife, but Lance knew that if given the option Keith would wear that jacket and none other until it was falling apart.

But that Keith had left behind his binder was the most unbelievable part. Keith _hated_ his body. Lance and Shiro were the only ones who knew. It had taken a hell of a lot of effort on Lance's part just to get Keith to the point where he only quietly resented his body. For Keith to leave their room without his binder was anathema.

Lance slipped on the jacket and curled into it. He didn't understand why Keith had left the team. He didn't understand why Keith had left _him_.

* * *

Keith had been ill on and off for a month when Zarkon forced him to see a druid doctor.

It was the hardest bit of acting that he had done so far, being examined by a druid and pretending that he was not terrified. He knew that he did not know everything about them, but what he knew was enough. Glowing purple hands palpated his stomach, and he passed the shaking off as a chill.

“Give it another two weeks, and if it doesn't go away then come see me again,” the druid said as Keith sat up and pulled his shirt back down.

“So, what is it?” Keith wasn't about to go through that ordeal and come away with nothing, as much as he wanted to get as far away from the druid as fast as possible.

The druid raised an eyebrow at him. “You're two and a half months along. Don't tell me you hadn't figured that out on your own.”

It took a beat for Keith to figure out what she was talking about. Then it hit him like a train.

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck shit fuck shit fuck goddamn.

With all the stress of playing the role of Princess Krizan, Keith hadn't even noticed that he'd missed his period. Twice. It had been fucking _morning sickness_ all along.

He's only seventeen. He's not sure if he could've handled this back on Earth. Here, in space, surrounded by the enemy? Not a chance in hell. Not if the baby's DNA alone would give him away. This was an unneeded complication. And he had no one to blame but himself. Lance had wanted to ask Coran or Allura if there were any condoms, but Keith hadn't wanted either of them wondering why Lance would be worried about preventing a pregnancy, and that was the end of that discussion.

He refused to let history repeat itself. He needed a cover story.

* * *

At dinner that night, Keith dabbed at his lips with his napkin before broaching the topic. “Grandfather, I need to speak with you. In private.”

Zarkon dismissed the servants, and once the doors closed behind them he nodded. “Speak, granddaughter.”

Keith swallowed, and hoped he didn't look as nervous as he felt. “Grandfather, I did not intend to come to you as empty-handed as I did. I disguised myself to spy amongst our enemies.”

Zarkon reached over and grabbed his hand. “Krizan, there was no need for you to put yourself in danger like that.”

Keith nodded. “I know that now, but the fact remains that I did. To that end, I placed myself in the path of the Paladins of Voltron and seduced one of them.”

“Krizan,” Zarkon breathed. Keith couldn't tell whether he was impressed or fearful.

“I was found out, unfortunately, before I was able to gather any useful intel. I did however unknowingly carry something away that I did not intend to.”

Zarkon nodded understandingly. “The pregnancy.”

“I – what?”

Zarkon sat back in his chair. “Doctor Ainax told me of your condition,” he said imperiously. “I am glad you told me the truth. You will have every luxury afforded to you in the months ahead. Your child may become our greatest weapon against Voltron.” Zarkon smiled widely. “I am very pleased with you, granddaughter.”

Keith was suddenly very, very afraid.

* * *

If Keith had thought that letting Doctor Ainax examine him was hard, attending the gladiatorial matches was a different kind of hard entirely.

The current Champion was a brute of a galra, tall and composed entirely of lean muscle. She grinned a bloodthirsty smile as she saluted the Emperor's box and swung an enormous flail that looked like death personified.

The prisoners were like lambs led to the slaughter.

Few lasted longer than fifteen minutes. None lasted longer than half an hour. Keith tried to look interested, like he was enjoying himself, but all he could think of was Shiro. Shiro, sure he was going to die like all the prisoners Keith was watching screaming in pain as they were crushed bit by tiny bit by the flail until they died. Shiro, doing the killing, because it was the only thing he _could_ do. Did he try to make it quick? Or was he forced to put on a show for the spectators?

“Granddaughter.”

Keith was glad for an excuse to look away from the carnage. “Yes Grandfather?”

Zarkon smiled inscrutably at him. “You are not enjoying yourself.”

Keith looked down at his hands folded in his lap. “I... this is not the sort of entertainment I grew up with. My galra half enjoys it immensely. But my altean half is appalled. I am finding it hard to reconcile the two.”

Zarkon chuckled. “Well you shall just have to beat your altean half into submission. You will learn to enjoy it.”

Keith knew his smile was shaky as he looked back to the arena, but as long as Zarkon accepted his explanation he was okay.

* * *

Keith was very firmly in the 'visibly pregnant' category at the large celebration that was his eighteenth birthday party. The identity of the baby's father was being kept firmly between Keith, Zarkon, and Ainax, fueling much speculation, gossip, and scandal.

It helped Keith in his goal to figure out who could be trusted as far as he could throw them, and who couldn't be trusted even that much. Step two had to be delayed due to his condition, but being forced to spend more time doing recon while nobody suspected him was far from the end of the world.

No one expected Keith to dance in his condition, himself included. He circled the room schmoozing with those who were receptive to it. When his feet grew tired of that, he retired to a chair in the main ballroom. Zarkon joined him shortly, watching the revelers with him. “Korak would make a good match,” he said after a while.

“True,” Keith assented. “But I am not looking for a good match. I am looking for the best match.”

Zarkon smiled. “I would expect nothing less.”

* * *

Giving birth in the heart of the Galra Empire was painless, and as fast as the doctor could wield their knife. With the healing pods leaving no trace that there had ever been any damage at all, there was little reason to draw it out by being careful.

There was a glowing hand on the back of his neck, and Keith felt himself going numb, and then he felt nothing at all. Staring up at the ceiling, the first indication he got that anything was happening at all was the sound of his baby crying for the first time.

His and Lance's baby.

The baby that Lance, who loved kids, might never meet.

If Keith was crying, he was simply emotional from giving birth. It was perfectly understandable.

* * *

He named his son Z'kal, and if he had thought that others weren't pleased about him being half altean, they really weren't happy about Z'kal being half human. It wasn't being a bantling that eliminated him from the succession, not by a long shot. Zarkon at least was pleased by his great-grandson, even if only because of whatever plans he had to use him against the Paladins.

It still felt surreal to Keith, even as he nursed Z'kal, that he had created this little thing. He was a little piece of Lance, and even though he was a complication Keith couldn't find it in himself to be upset. If everything went to plan, it would be years before he saw any of them again. He worried about what Zarkon's plans for him were, but for now, Keith knew that Z'kal would help keep him going.

* * *

“No! We'll find him!”

Allura spoke gently, trying to calm Lance. “I'm sure we will, but in the meantime we need a new Red Paladin. We need Voltron.”

“Yeah,” Hunk chimed in. “We keep getting our asses kicked with only four of us.”

Pidge side-eyed Lance. “Maybe if _someone_ hadn't started going off at every little thing, our plans would actually work.”

Lance raised his fist and genuinely looked like he was going to punch Pidge when Shiro put a restraining hand on his shoulder. “I'm upset too Lance. We're all upset. But Pidge is right. Your temper has been... frayed, lately, and it's affecting our effectiveness in battle. Allura is also right. We need a new Red Paladin, even if it is only temporary.”

Lance brushed off Shiro's hand and stormed out without another word. His feet took him to what had become his favorite place, the Red Lion's bay. He placed a hand on Red's paw, then rested his forehead on it. “I know they're right,” he told the lion. “But that doesn't mean I have to just go along with it. Keith is your pilot, and I'll be damned if I let anyone else just waltz in and sit in his spot.”

Red kneeled down and opened his mouth. It was pretty clear that he wanted Lance to enter.

Lance slowed as he approached the cockpit. Once inside, it felt like it took him forever to reach Keith's seat and curl up in it. His voice was muffled in the sleeve of Keith's jacket when he said, “You're the lion. What do you think?”

He was just mumbling to himself, not paying attention to what he was saying, but as he turned his words over in his head the more sense it made to ask Red. The others wouldn't listen to what Lance had to say, but they would listen to Red. It was the lions that chose their pilots, after all.

Lance sat up straight and opened his mind to Red. _Do you want a new pilot?_

Red roared in response.

“Oh. Okay. I'll have to check with Blue. But okay.”

* * *

The months ticked by. Keith became more and more comfortable leaving Z'kal with Shyorza as he resumed his physical training. Zarkon had plans for Z'kal yes, but he also trusted Keith implicitly and would not do anything without telling Keith first.

Keith had to believe that. Otherwise he would never move out of the recon stage. He couldn't exactly take an infant with him as he methodically assassinated High Command.

A little poison here, a little stabbing there. Emperor Zarkon trusted Princess Krizan, and so, even though many did not like Princess Krizan, they also trusted her. No one dared to suspect Princess Krizan even as generals and politicians dropped dead, enough time between each kill that no one would suspect a plot. The galra were a martial culture. If one was important enough to be assassinated and could not defend themselves against such an attempt, that was on their head and no one else's.

It was at Z'kal's first birthday party that Korak made his intentions to court Keith clear. Competition was not fierce; even though Keith was a member of the royal family, the fact that he was a mutt with a half-human bantling caused many to shy away. And Zarkon had been right, he was a good match.

Subtly encouraged by Zarkon, Keith consented to the courting. As the relationship progressed, Keith realized that Korak was not just a good match, but in fact the best match. He was the head of a very prestigious house, his father a general who had died in battle several years ago. And it was made clear that he was not pursuing Keith due to his position, but because of a genuine admiration for Princess Krizan. He would remain loyal to Keith, and there was no risk of backstabbing.

As Zarkon's encouragement became less and less subtle, Keith realized, with a guilty heart, that he was going to have to play along to the bitter end.

* * *

Allura tapped on the control panel, gasped, and covered her mouth with her hands. “Oh no.”

“What? It's a trap after all?” Shiro asked from where he was standing guard.

Allura shook her head slowly. “No. It was easy because Zarkon wanted us to get in. He wanted us to see what was on this computer.”

“Well what is it?” Pidge asked.

Allura swiped on the control panel, and what she was looking at flew up to the main screen. It was a picture of a surprisingly human looking infant, with some text attached. “The child... of one of your Paladins,” Allura said shakily.

“Okay, now that is definitely a trap,” Hunk said.

“That's impossible.” Shiro didn't sound like he believed himself.

Allura tapped on the control panel, searching the database. “There's little information, no location, not even which of you is allegedly this child's parent.”

“Do galra have Photoshop?” Hunk asked. “Because I feel like that's a thing they would have.”

“No,” Lance said suddenly. Everyone's head turned towards him. “If this baby really does exist, we know which of us is the human parent. It's Keith. The Galra Empire has Keith.”

Pidge put a hand on his shoulder. “Lance, we don't know that.”

“No, what we don't know is why he left in the first place. It wasn't me and unless someone has something to confess it wasn't any of you. Which leaves Keith. Who has been missing for two years now, with not even the smallest clue as to where he is. If the galra have him and don't want him being rescued, they certainly wouldn't broadcast it.”

Pidge moved towards the display, scanning the text. “Well if it's a trap, it's a pretty shit trap. It doesn't tell us where to go to spring it.”

“Lance,” Shiro moved towards him. “If the galra have Keith, we'll find him and we'll rescue him. I promise.”

“Oh yeah?” Lance said bitterly. “We've been looking for Pidge's family even longer, and we haven't found them either.”

“ _Lance!_ ”

Lance brushed Shiro off. “I'm going to go keep watch for more galra.”

* * *

The joining of Princess Krizan and Lord Korak was a massive affair. The groom caused many to swoon in disappointment, and the bride was radiantly beautiful despite her mixed heritage. Emperor Zarkon pulled out all the stops and paid a small fortune to make it the event of the century.

Keith hated every moment of it.

He hated that he had had to grow his hair out, he hated the skirts and the train and the glittering jewelry, he hated the curves that had become more pronounced after his pregnancy. He hated every part of being Princess Krizan. Korak was nice enough, but he hated that he had to marry him to keep up the facade.

He thought of Lance, and wanted to throw up. He had left without even saying goodbye. It was necessary of course, Lance would have tried to stop him, but he hadn't even left a note. He had just _left_ on a mission that would take a couple years at best, and he hadn't even left a note for his boyfriend. Just... vanished.

Had Lance moved on? Were they even still looking for him? They'd never find him, not like this. Did Red have a new pilot? Of course they did, Voltron had been spotted. Nothing would be the same when he returned.

If he ever returned. Potentially, he could draw the mission out for the rest of his life. There was no reason for this to be a hit-and-run, not if no one suspected him of actively working against the Empire. The only thing stopping him was his own disgust at being Princess Krizan.

Princess Krizan smiled, and held hands with her new husband, and danced the night away in his arms. Later, much later, he muffled his tears in his pillow while Korak slept soundly beside him.

* * *

“I heard you last night.”

Keith startled at Korak's words and looked up from his breakfast, foods traditional for newlyweds the morning after the wedding. “I'm sorry?”

Korak looked concerned. “I heard you crying last night. What's wrong? Did I hurt you?”

Keith quickly shook his head. “No! No, you didn't hurt me. It was fine.”

“Then what's wrong?”

Keith looked back down at his breakfast.

Korak stood, moved around the table, and knelt beside Keith's chair. “Krizan, I want to know what's wrong. I want to make you happy.”

Keith decided to go for a half-truth. “I was just... thinking about someone I knew. Before I returned to my grandfather's side. But... it ended. And it's why I decided to leave my old life behind.”

“You loved them. And you weren't ready to marry someone else,” Korak deduced. He took Keith's hand and held it gently. “It's okay, darling. I know the pressures you are placed under as our Emperor's heir – don't think I didn't notice. We may have had to get married before you were really ready, but we can take everything else as slowly as you want. I love you Krizan, and I'm willing to wait for you.”

Korak squeezed his hand and gave Keith a gentle smile. The watering of Keith's eyes was only mostly an act. “Please don't tell my grandfather any of this. He wouldn't understand.”

“I wouldn't dream of it.” Korak stood and bent over to hug Keith. “Remember, darling: anything you don't want to do, I don't want to do.”

Keith melted into the hug. It actually felt kind of... nice. After the relative coldness of Zarkon and the scheming and manipulating of generals and politicians, it was nice to know that there was one person in the Galra Empire who had his back, at least for mundane, sensible things. Nothing about Keith's mission was mundane or sensible, but outside of that Keith almost felt like he could trust him.

* * *

Keith lounged on his favorite divan, reading a book and half-listening to Korak teach Z'kal some sort of galra children's clapping game. Z'kal's giggling was a soothing balm to his inner turmoil. This morning, he had witnessed a young woman collapse after receiving the news that her father had been murdered by an unknown assailant. On days such as this, Keith worked his way through an exhaustive history of the Galra Empire. The Castle's history banks were 10,000 years out of date, and Keith needed to know what he was dealing with. He needed to know how deep the evil went if he was to have any hope of stopping it.

There were always civilian casualties in war.

Keith had taken to going on midnight strolls fairly often. Korak called them his wandering feet. It was nice to get out of their apartments and walk around without very many others about. To be as much himself as he could be, thinking about things other than politics and conspiracies. And besides, the more walks he went on, the less likely Korak would be to connect them with the assassinations. He didn't want to have to kill Korak too. He was nice, and, more importantly, he was part of his cover.

Korak stood up from the floor. “Okay, that's enough. Time to get some work done.”

Z'kal glommed onto Korak's leg. “But Daddy!”

Keith dropped his reading pad.

Korak saw the look on Keith's face and immediately reacted. “No Z'kal. I'm not your daddy.”

“Yes you are! Silly Daddy!”

Korak looked to Keith for help. Keith knew that it was time for him to say something, that Z'kal needed to hear it from him, that maybe, just maybe, Keith should say that it was okay. But he couldn't stop picturing Lance. Lance with his stupid face and his stupid sense of humor and his stupid eyes that looked just like Z'kal's.

Korak bent and picked up Z'kal. “You know what? You can come with me. Let's let Mama have some quiet time, okay?”

“Okay.”

Keith stayed absolutely still for a very long time. The first thing that moved was his shoulders; they shuddered. He shook with the effort of keeping it in.

Korak came back. “He's with Shyorza now.” He sat down beside Keith and pulled him against him. That was all it took for the floodgates to open. Korak pulled Keith into his lap and rocked gently, rubbing a comforting hand up and down his back. “It's okay. It's okay. I've got you. Everything's going to be okay.”

* * *

Later, much later, Korak carried Keith to their bedroom. He set him down on the bed, and Keith curled into the pillows. His next act was to place a box of tissues on the bed next to him. Keith availed himself of many of them, wiping up snot and the tears that hadn't dried yet. When he was done, Korak picked up the sizable pile of used tissues and threw them away. Then he sat down on the bed next to Keith. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Keith shook his head. Korak put a hand on his knee. “Well I'm going to say some things. You don't have to confirm or deny them. I'm just going to say them.” He took a deep breath. “I think you loved Z'kal's father. I think that you still do. I don't know how it started, and I don't know how it ended, but I can guess that it was bad because you ran all the way here. And you can't tell anyone that you're hurting because Voltron is our enemy. But you can tell me, Krizan. You can trust me with anything, and I won't judge you. I just want you to know that I'm here for you.”

Keith nodded, hiccuping. He knew he would start crying again if he had any tears left to give. “I... thank you,” he said hoarsely. “I don't... maybe... I'll tell you. Someday. But... not right now.”

Korak rubbed his knee in a comforting gesture. “That's okay. Take all the time you need. You don't need to say anything you're not ready to.”

* * *

Keith's arm found Korak's waist after court was dismissed for the day. “I have something to tell you, darling,” he said.

Korak smiled winningly down at him. “Oh no. What did Z'kal destroy this time?”

“Nothing.” Keith paused. “I think.”

Korak laughed, a deep, happy laugh. He was a good father, Keith thought.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I enjoyed all of your comments, and am also cackling a little.

Keith had had a much harder time with his second pregnancy than his first, and so the royal heir and her family had retired to a pleasant, out of the way planet away from the stresses of court life. But with his due date approaching, it was time to return home.

If they ever made it, Keith thought bitterly as the ship shook violently and he clutched the edge of the table to keep from falling over. Voltron. Of _course_ it was Voltron.

The sound of blasters came from outside the door to their private quarters. Korak stood his ground despite the shaking, blaster at the ready. “Hide yourself, Krizan!”

“Like hell I will!” Keith shouted back. He flipped the table on its side for cover. He had his own sidearm, even if he was planning on strategically missing. Anything to scare them away.

The door opened, guns blazing on both sides. The Paladins were hiding around the doorway, ducking out to fire. Keith fired through the doorway, deliberately missing. Korak however had no such mercy. He aimed to kill.

And then.

The Red Paladin grew tired of the duck and cover. He jumped out and planted himself in the center of the doorway, firing rapidly and peppering the far wall with scorch marks. Keith sucked in a breath. It was Lance in the red armor.

Korak shouted, drawing Keith's attention. He fell, a smoking hole in the center of his chest.

“ _No!_ ” Keith found himself screaming as he left the cover of the table. His eyes burned as he fell to his knees beside Korak's body. “No no no darling please look at me just look at me love no!” His eyes burned and his face grew wet as he struggled to cradle Korak's body in his arms. He realized through his tears that he had actually come to love Korak after all.

He wanted to kill Lance.

 _He wanted to kill Lance_.

Keith picked up Korak's blaster and pointed it up at Lance. Lance returned the favor with his own blaster. “You have two options here,” he said coldly. “I'm wearing armor. You're not.”

Keith's arm started to shake. The aim of the blaster wobbled. Slowly, he lowered it and set it back down on the ground with a sob. He would have killed Lance. He really would have done it.

But that was a revelation for another day. Shiro strode forward and kicked the blaster away. It went skittering into a corner. He grabbed Keith's bicep and ungently helped him up. “You're coming with us, Krizan.”

“Emperor Zarkon will never stand for this,” Keith said softly, knowing that it wouldn't work. Shiro pulled on him, but he stood his ground. “Wait. I'm not leaving my son alone like this. You will destroy the ship, and he will die.”

Shiro narrowed his eyes, but didn't contradict him. “Where is he?”

“In the next room.”

“Lance, go with her.”

With Lance's blaster at his back, Keith opened the door and walked into the small nursery. “Close the door behind you,” he told him, wary of Z'kal seeing Korak through it.

Z'kal was sitting up in his crib, awoken by the noise and the shaking. “Mama?”

Keith smiled wetly. “It's okay, Z'kal. Everything's going to be okay. In fact, we're going to play a little game now.”

“A game?” Z'kal asked as Keith lifted him out of the crib.

“Yes, a game. To play the game, you have to close your eyes and not look.” Keith carefully pushed Z'kal's face into his shoulder in case he decided to look anyway. Lance's expression was unreadable.

As Lance marched him through the front room and into the hallway beyond, Keith took one last look at Korak's body. Soon, his husband would be nothing more than space dust.

It had started as a sham. He had realized too late that it wasn't a sham anymore.

* * *

“Where's Z'kal?” Keith asked.

Shiro glared at him. “Safe. He's not dangerous. You are.”

Keith leaned back against the wall of the cell, heart aching. “I don't feel very dangerous right now. You're the ones who killed my husband.” The scene replayed over and over in his mind. Could he have gotten him medical attention? No, he was dead before he hit the ground. What if he had actually aimed at the Paladins, instead of simply firing through the doorway in an attempt to scare them off?

Keith was a widow. He hadn't expected it to hurt this much.

“Emperor Zarkon will never stop hunting you as long as you keep me captive here,” he settled for.

Lance leaned against the outside of the cell. “All we need to do to stop him is send a transmission with my blaster against your throat.”

Keith's eyes shot over in surprise. “That's cold.”

“We're at war,” Lance responded icily. “Maybe you want to tell us what you know, and we'll consider letting you go.”

Keith wanted to. But he couldn't, not yet. He had to drag it out a little. Make it look real. He had to play the mourning widow for a bit first.

It wasn't as hard as he'd thought it would be.

* * *

Pidge joined Lance where he was watching Hunk play with Z'kal. “He does look a little bit like Keith,” she said quietly.

“Yeah.” Lance dragged his hand down his face. “Yeah, he does.”

“You were right Lance. The galra have him, or at least they did.” They watched Hunk teach Z'kal the intricacies of peek-a-boo in silence for a moment. “But I still don't understand why. Why would Zarkon have Z'kal made, tell us he exists, and leave it at that?”

Allura joined them. “Maybe he got attached? He is kind of cute.” She smiled as Z'kal giggled loudly and started chewing on the end of Hunk's headband.

Pidge side-eyed Allura. “Zarkon doesn't exactly seem like the 'gets attached to small children' type.”

“Well, we've got a princess in the hold who's convinced he's going to come for them,” Lance said darkly. “He'd just better not come for them before we get some good information out of her.”

“Well she is Z'kal's mother. If nothing else she knows where Keith was at some point.”

Lance bit his lip to stop himself from telling Pidge that Z'kal couldn't be Krizan's son, not if he was Keith's. “Who's with her now, anyway?”

“Coran is,” Allura answered. “Last I heard, he was actually making some progress.”

“Good,” Lance said as they watched Hunk and Z'kal move on to horsey.

* * *

Keith couldn't stop thinking about all the things he wished he could've told Korak. He knew it was ridiculous, that most of them he had previously had no intention of ever telling Korak, but the knowledge didn't help. _My name's Keith. I'm a boy. I am – was – a Paladin. I grew up on Earth. I think you'd like it there. I think my aunt and uncle would like you, after they got over the whole alien thing. My brother wouldn't, but it wouldn't be personal. If I could've, I would've named Z'kal Zachary. I know we picked Runac out for the baby, but I think of him as Luke. I'm trying to create a better universe. I still love Lance, but I love you too._

_I love you too._

He had said it many times, but he never got to say it and _mean_ it. He never thought he'd meant it, and that meant that he hadn't meant it, right? Even if, subconsciously, he did mean it.

Keith's heart hurt. It felt like a black hole, sucking everything else in.

The door to the cell slid open. Keith hauled himself to his feet and walked out. Silently he made his way down corridors and hallways. The Castle was abandoned. Everyone was asleep. Soon, he reached the bridge. Coran was at the controls. Z'kal was asleep in the Red Paladin's seat, a blanket wrapped around him.

Coran turned when he heard the door slide open. “The sleeping pill should keep him asleep for another few hours. Enough to get away cleanly. There's a shuttle waiting for you. I've already turned off all the alarms and cameras.”

Keith nodded. “Thanks.” He moved to stand in front of Coran. “We have to make this look realistic.”

Coran nodded. “Of course.”

* * *

Keith's broken arm was a white-hot throbbing in time to the shuttle's engine. Still, he had nothing else to hold Z'kal steady with on his greatly reduced lap as he piloted one-handed. Every once and a while he had to turn his head to spit blood out onto the cockpit floor. A tooth was broken, if the jagged, coppery edge he could feel was any indication.

The longer he spent in the shuttle, the higher chance there was of the Castle catching up with him. He wouldn't be able to escape again, and the mission would be blown. He needed to find a galra ship fast.

* * *

“ _What do you mean she escaped?_ ”

“I don't know how,” Allura said as her fingers ran across the controls, “But all of the cameras and alarms were turned off.”

Lance rounded on Coran. “And you! You were supposed to be taking care of Z'kal! How did she get her hands on him?”

Coran scratched the back of his head, wincing when he hit the bump there. “She snuck up on me, it seems.”

“Snuck up on you?” Lance threw his arms into the air. “ _She's the size of a whale!_ ”

“What's a... whale?”

Shiro grabbed Lance's shoulder. “Calm down Lance. Princess Krizan found a hole in our defenses. If we can find it, we can make sure that it doesn't happen again.”

Allura continued to tap on the controls. “I don't understand how though. The controls to the cameras and alarms are locked. They can't be turned off except by one of us six, and Keith of course.”

“Well unless you're saying that Keith is a shapeshifter and also an alien princess, I don't think those controls are as locked as you think,” Lance said sarcastically.

There was the sound of skittering claws as the mice jumped out from where they had been hiding and climbed up Allura's dress to rest on her shoulder. “What is it friends?” In a split second Allura blanched and staggered against the controls. “ _What_ ,” she breathed.

Coran rushed to Allura's side to help hold her up. “What is it Princess? What did the mice tell you?”

“The mice said...” she swallowed, and looked up at Coran. “The mice said that _you_ helped Krizan escape.”

“What? No I didn't! Why would I help Princess Krizan escape?”

“Well it would explain why a woman who looked like she was due any day now could sneak up on you,” Lance poked Coran accusatively in the chest. “She didn't. And then you let her hit you over the head to make it look good.”

Shiro quickly stepped between them. “Calm down. I'm sure there's another explanation for this. In the meantime, if it makes everyone else feel better, we can put Coran in one of the cells.”

“Do it,” Lance said decisively, glaring at Coran as if he could set him on fire with his mind alone.

* * *

Shiro face the cell. “Okay, I've turned off the cameras so that this isn't recorded,” he told Coran. “What did you want to tell me?”

“Princess Krizan isn't who you think she is.”

Shiro folded his arms and raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

Coran was serious as he spoke. “Ever since her return, Princess Krizan has been assassinating members of the Galra High Command to weaken the Empire. Her end goal is to kill Zarkon, take his place, and destroy the Empire from the inside.”

“Why should I believe you?”

“Consider how much intel she gave us, and with minimal resistance. She barely held out at all before she was spilling secrets.”

Shiro considered this. “And how do you know all this anyway?”

“We planned this out together. We met on Mycean 5, you remember Mycean 5. She wants revenge on Zarkon for killing her mother, and for her treatment as a mutt at the hands of the Empire.”

Shiro frowned. “So why are you telling me this now? Why didn't you say anything before?”

“Because the fewer people who know the better. I decided to tell you because you seem like the least likely to give it away if you encounter her again.”

“And now you're telling me because you need me to do something,” Shiro deduced.

Coran sighed unhappily. “Yes. I didn't betray Voltron, and I don't particularly feel like hanging around in here until Princess Krizan destroys the Empire. What I'd really like is for you to fabricate evidence that I didn't let her go. I know exactly how to do it, I just need someone to do it. I would have done it myself, but I didn't realize that the mice had seen us.”

Shiro thought for a moment, then nodded. “Okay. Tell me what to do.”

* * *

Unfortunately there had been enough freak accidents that pregnant people could only use a healing pod if they were dying. Keith had to heal from his injuries the long way, at least until after the birth. His arm would heal easily enough, especially since his due date was in only a couple weeks, but the broken tooth had to go. And once it was gone, there was little the healing pods could do. A druid doctor gave him a new tooth of black diamond. He wasn't entirely sure it didn't secrete poison or something ridiculous like that.

Keith mourned his husband, in a way he had never expected to. The Empire mourned with him. The birth of a new heir was cause for bittersweet celebration. Keith felt numb, and took care of Runac on autopilot. Zarkon doted on Runac, and Keith let him. He had no reason to believe that Zarkon would harm him, unlike Z'kal. That was good.

Runac was a month old by the time Keith was able to get his head back in the game. He was more mechanical logging loyalties and counting deaths. But as long as he wasn't caught it didn't matter. He was almost done anyway.

* * *

“It looks like the intel given by our source was good,” Shiro radioed back to the Castle. “This is definitely one of the bigger work camps.”

Pidge moved quickly through the camp, directing liberated prisoners to the shuttles. The first few camps they had liberated, she had nearly fallen apart thinking of her dad and Matt in one of them. But, somewhere along the way, she had managed to turn that part off. Compartmentalize and do her job properly. Deal with the devastation on her own time, and no one else's.

She turned away from a half-dug mass grave after making sure there was no one in it. “Move along as quickly as possible, we haven't got all day.”

“Come on Dad.”

Katie froze.

She turned slowly. There.

Two humans. The only humans she had seen outside of Voltron in nearly four years.

Sam and Matt Holt.

Katie slowly pulled off her helmet, barely aware of it tugging at the bun at the base of her neck and loosening it.

Sam leaned heavily on Matt. He seemed aged by a hundred years.

Matt was twig-thin and walked with a limp. But he stood steady under the weight of their father.

Katie took a step forward. Then another.

Matt looked up. “...Katie?”

That was all it took.

Suddenly Katie was holding Sam up too, taking his weight from Matt, and Matt was trying to crush her with his bony arms, and Sam was looking up at her and said, “When did you get so tall?”

Katie threw back her head and laughed, bells ringing.

* * *

One morning, Keith woke up and realized that he had finished with step two. All of the generals and politicians left were either loyal to Princess Krizan or had no real power of their own. It was time to move on to step three.

It was easy enough to make it look like an accident. Zarkon trusted his granddaughter implicitly. He would never expect her to betray him. He would never suspect an invitation to do some old-fashioned sport hunting, some grandfather-granddaughter bonding time alone together away from the stresses of politics.

Keith stood over Zarkon as he took his last gasps and said, “The Paladins of Voltron send their regards.” And it was Keith that said it, not Krizan, and Keith could see the recognition in Zarkon's eyes, and it felt good.

Aliens shipped in from all over the Empire to attend the funeral. The procession lasted half a day so that as many could see the body as possible. Afterwards, he was interred beneath a marble plinth. The massive statue was not yet ready when he was buried. No one had thought it would ever be necessary.

The next day, Keith was crowned Empress of the Galra Empire. There were murmurs of pity for poor Empress Krizan, to lose her husband and then her grandfather while still so young, and some loyal to her conversed amongst themselves, worrying about her mutt grip on the throne. Keith listened with half an ear, stood tall and held his head high under the weight of the crown, and set about solidifying his power. He needed to remove any potential obstacles, any unknowns, before he went about step four.

* * *

“Gentlemen and women,” Keith said to the gathered generals sitting at the table, “You are probably wondering why I have called you here on such short, secret notice.” He looked around, meeting eyes with every single one of them. All of them held calculating looks, but they were not against Keith. These were only the most loyal of loyal. He leaned forward, hands on the table. “It goes without saying given the circumstances, but I want to make it absolutely clear that nothing said here is to pass these walls.” Ruthlessness poured out of him. “My spies have uncovered a plot against me.”

Murmurs. Some looked surprised, others not. They were loyal, but they weren't blind to what others were saying about Keith. Mutt. Half breed. Too young, too altean, too soft. The people who whispered hadn't seen what they had seen, that Empress Krizan could lead them to glory even her late grandfather could only dream of. They would die for her. They would all die for her.

Hopefully they wouldn't just yet though. Keith still needed them.

Keith nodded at them. “Unfortunately, this is not the sort of plot that can be solved with brute force. It is the Druid Order that wants me dead. My late grandfather relied on them. I do not. This has weakened their political power, which they do not like.”

It made sense of course. Frankly, Keith wouldn't be surprised if they actually _were_ plotting against him. “You want us to come up with a plan,” General Inzaq deduced.

Keith shook his head. “Not entirely. I do have the bare bones of a plan, but I welcome input from all of you to make it foolproof. And of course, I called you all here because I will need your help to dispose of the Druids before they dispose of me. We will need to eliminate all of them at once, or their power will overwhelm us.”

Several generals leaned forward. It was terrible that someone was plotting against their beloved Empress. Especially terrible that it was someone so powerful as the Druids. They would see the threat eliminated. Anything to gain the Empress's favor.

* * *

Keith fingered the gold filigree on his throne. The design was very much something that appealed to Zarkon. Not so much to Keith. Perhaps he should have a new one made.

Tonight, there would be blood.

“You wished to see me, Empress?” Witch Haggar asked as she approached.

Keith turned to face her. “Yes. I have been neglecting the Druids since my coronation. I wish to rectify that.”

“Really.”

Something in Haggar's tone made Keith hesitate. Under her hood, Haggar smiled widely.

 _She knew_.

Keith signaled to his bodyguards but Haggar threw them against the walls, and they remained where they landed. Keith rushed her with a roar, but barely took five steps before there was a small _pop_ and suddenly Keith was on the floor howling in agony, his mouth on fire and bleeding profusely. He instinctively put his hand up to his cheek to press against the wound, but his cheek was simply _gone_.

Haggar was suddenly standing above him. “I've been wary of you for a while now,” she cackled. “Long enough to add something a little explosive to your tooth. It seems like I was right.”

Keith pulled out his sidearm, but he hadn't even pointed it at Haggar before she squeezed her fist tight and the sidearm fell from limp, broken fingers. “You're going to regret ever crossing me!” Haggar screamed with a maniacal cackle, and lightning flowed from her hands, striking Keith in the center of his chest.

Keith screamed, as much blood as air flying out of his mouth. Haggar lifted him and threw him violently against the throne. He coughed on spit and blood when several ribs snapped.

His eyes flew wide in a panic when he realized that he couldn't breathe at all.

Haggar's hands weren't around his throat but he could _feel_ them there, feel the bruise forming. Her magic lifted him and pressed him into the seat. “You wanted the throne so much,” she sneered, “then _have it!_ ”

Keith's vision started going black. Then...

Haggar screamed a death scream. A sword protruded from her chest and Keith gasped for air. His rescuer put a hand on his shoulder, but it was several moments before Keith's head was clear enough to look at them.

“We're made,” General Inzaq told him in a hurry. “We took out several druids, but the rest rallied and counterattacked. It's turned into a coup. You need to flee, Empress.”

Keith nodded. “Do your best,” he managed to get out, wheezing for air and with what felt like only half a mouth. “I will return... if possible.”

General Inzaq nodded, face hard. “If we die tonight, it is in service to you Empress.”

He helped Keith to his feet. When he felt steady, Keith fled. But he wouldn't be fleeing alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter may take a bit longer. Yesterday morning I woke up with the perfect edit, and then didn't make it immediately and forgot what it was. I know where it goes, I just can't remember it for the life of me. So I'm going to wait a bit and see if it comes back to me.


	3. Chapter 3

“A shuttle has just entered our sensor range,” Allura declared, tapping on the control panel. “It's broadcasting a message on our main frequency.”

“Well play it,” Shiro said. Allura tapped a few controls, and a video started playing on the front monitor.

“...Holy shit,” Lance breathed. Shiro had to agree.

It was Empress Krizan. She looked like she had been through hell. Her face was covered in blood from where her mouth extended far further than natural, and as she spoke Shiro could make out her jawbone moving in more directions than it should have. Below, on her neck, was a thick, hand-shaped bruise, and the front of her shirt ended in burnt tatters, revealing a hideous burn.

Her words were slurred, which was no surprise given her facial injuries. “This message-” she coughed and pink, foamy blood dribbled from the remains of her lips. A lung injury. “This message is set to play within range of the Castle of the Paladins of Voltron in case I don't make it, and-” she coughed again, then gave a bloody half smile. “I don't think I will.

“Mission aborted. The computer's databanks contain all the information I have gathered. I can't... I can't add what happened. It was a coup. The druids took over, far as I know. The code to get into the cockpit is 202614. Please-” She suddenly lurched forward with a small scream, wet, hacking coughs making their way out of her throat. She looked up, eyes wide in panic. “Take care-” coughing cut her off, and she slowly reached towards the controls below the screen.

The video cut off.

“Can we fit the shuttle in our loading bay?” Shiro asked.

Hunk rolled his eyes. “Yeah, we can fit it in the parking spot of the shuttle she _stole_ last time she was here.”

Pidge tilted her head in confusion. “What did she mean, mission aborted? And why would she come to us?”

“Too long to explain,” Shiro said quickly, causing everyone else except Coran to look at him in confusion. “Princess, can we get that shuttle on board?”

Allura nodded. “I'll tractor beam it into the loading bay.”

“Good. Hunk, Pidge, with me.”

Hunk looked over at Lance, who shrugged, before running off after Shiro and Pidge.

* * *

The shuttle door opened to Shiro's prosthetic. Pidge followed him in immediately, Hunk a little bit behind. He scanned the interior, eyes landing on the only two people in the main cabin: Z'kal and an even younger galra, strapped into the same seat so that they wouldn't fall out of the adult-sized harnesses. Z'kal had the younger galra in a tight grip, looking terrified. “Pidge,” Shiro pointed at the two kids while moving towards the door to the cockpit. In the corner of his eye he saw Pidge moving to unbuckle them. Shiro punched the code Krizan had given in the video into the cockpit door's number pad.

The cockpit smelled like blood. Empress Krizan's injuries were even worse in person. She lay limp in the pilot's chair, head tilted to the side. One hand dangled over the armrest. The other, cradled in her lap, had been crushed by some great force. Unconscious, her face looked even more mangled.

Hunk put a hand over his mouth and nose as he followed Shiro in. Shiro bent over the body and reached for her neck. He had to check, even though it was surely futile.

His eyes flew wide. “She's alive!” he exclaimed. His eyes darted around frantically before he pulled a knife from Krizan's belt and used it to bypass the harness buckles. “Hunk, get her to a healing pod immediately!” he ordered as he stood back.

“On it!” Hunk picked up Krizan's body carefully but quickly and sped out of the cockpit.

Shiro tucked the knife into his own belt, quickly scanned the cockpit for anything else important, and headed back into the main cabin. Pidge was now sitting in a seat, pressing the children's faces into her shoulders. After Hunk left the shuttle she loosened her grip, and Z'kal pushed away from her. “Is Mama dead?” he asked in a small voice.

“What makes you ask that?” Pidge asked gently.

Z'kal sniffled. “When Daddy died, Mama made me not look too.”

Shiro knelt down in front of Pidge and smiled up at Z'kal. “It's okay, Z'kal. Your mother's not dead.”

“Really?”

Shiro nodded. “Really. I'm not going to lie to you, she's very badly hurt, but I think we can help her.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

Z'kal nodded with a watery smile. “Okay.”

“Are you two hungry?” Pidge asked. Z'kal nodded again. He slid off of Pidge's lap and, once she had also stood with the younger child balanced on her hip, reached up and grabbed her hand. Shiro followed them out of the shuttle.

They had just entered the hallway beyond the loading bay when Lance rounded the corner. “Hey guys, thought I'd come-”

He was promptly cut off by a yowl from Z'kal as he ripped his hand out of Pidge’s and charged. Shiro jumped forward and grabbed him before he could collide with Lance and lifted him bodily from the ground. Z’kal kept shouting, limbs flailing violently. “Let me go! Let me go!”

“Z’kal!”

Lance put his hands up in surrender and slowly backed off. “I'll just… go away then.” He spun on his heel and walked back the way he came.

Z’kal kept fighting until he realized it was futile, then switched to pouting. Pidge stared at him wide-eyed. Shiro looked down at the bundle in his arms. “What was that about?”

“He's the Red Paladin.” Z’kal mumbled.

“And why did you try to attack him?”

Z’kal glared at where Lance had disappeared. “The Red Paladin killed my daddy.”

Shiro and Pidge shared a look. This could get complicated.

* * *

After dropping Pidge and the children off in the mess hall, Shiro went to the infirmary to check on Krizan. He found Coran there messing with the controls to the healing pods while Hunk watched. “How's she doing?”

“She'll be in there a while.” Coran replied. “Her injuries are very severe. To add to that, this equipment has never healed a galra-altean hybrid before. It has to figure out where everything's supposed to go before it starts putting her back together again.”

Shiro moved to the pod to look upon the sleeping empress. The tattered front of her shirt left little to the imagination. “You couldn't have at least covered her up before you put her in there?”

Hunk shook his head. “She started flatlining as soon as I got here. There was no time.”

“Once I get everything calibrated I can turn up the opacity below her neck,” Coran said. “Until then I need to be able to see if something goes horribly wrong.”

Shiro nodded, staring at Krizan's face. A druid coup. Probably a miracle she got out at all. Shiro knew what kind of powers they had within their grasp.

He knew what Coran had said a couple years ago, that she was working against the Galra Empire from the inside, and he did believe him. But there were other things that he wanted to know. He wanted to hear from Krizan herself exactly how she ended up with Z'kal.

* * *

Shiro poked his head in the mess hall, but he only saw Lance slurping up some food goo. “Hey Lance, have you seen Pidge and the kids?”

Lance looked up and gave Shiro a deadpan stare. “Don't you think you would have heard it if I had?”

Shiro’s sixth sense, the one that had been honed by being a responsible adult surrounded by teenagers, went off. “What is it Lance?”

Lance stabbed at the food goo with his spoon. “He's Keith’s kid,” he told the table. “I'd like to think that he'd want me to take care of him, but… well. You saw.”

“He thinks you killed his father,” Shiro said.

“Well I did, didn't I? He thinks Krizan is his mother, and therefore her husband, who I killed, is his father. That's how it works, isn't it?” He stabbed at his food more violently and his tone got angrier. “He probably doesn't even know about Keith. Who knows what they did to him. Did they just take his DNA, or his eggs, or did they make him do everything? And when they were done, I doubt they just sent him on his merry way.” He was cut off by a harsh sob and he dug the palm of his hand into his eyes.

Shiro quickly sat down next to Lance and put his arm around his shoulders, pulling him in. Lance hiccuped into Shiro's shirt. They stayed like that for several minutes before Lance pulled away with red-rimmed eyes. “I… I gave up on him a while ago,” he confessed. “I just want some closure now.”

Shiro squeezed Lance’s shoulder. “Well we have the databanks in Krizan’s shuttle. Or Krizan might know. She has been acting as Z'kal's mother. Maybe there will be some closure. For both of us.”

Lance sniffled, curling into the red jacket he'd worn ever since it became clear that Keith wasn't coming back. They sat together in silence for a while, taking comfort from the other's presence.

* * *

Shiro forgot about Krizan's knife until he was getting changed for bed.

In the semi-darkness it looked a little bit like Keith's knife. Shiro shook his head at himself. He was seeing things. Now that they might finally find out what happened to Keith, everything was reminding him of him. It seemed to be the same size and shape, but his memory could easily be flawed. It's not like Keith had let anyone near his knife.

And anyway, the hilt was clearly a galra design. It was impossible for Keith's knife to be a galra knife, not when he'd had it for as long as Shiro had known him.

* * *

“Hey Dad,” Pidge greeted automatically as she entered their shared quarters. Then she actually looked up and saw who else was there. “Matt? I thought Hunk had the kids.”

Sam and Matt were sitting at the chessboard that Pidge had made with the Castle's 3D printer, each with a kid on their lap. Z'kal was looking seriously at the board from Sam's lap, and Runac was chewing on one of his captured knights. “Hunk did have the kids,” Matt informed her. “Now I have the kids.”

“I'm teaching Z'kal how to play chess,” Sam said.

Pidge walked over to the board. “Should Runac be chewing on that?”

“I dunno. You made them,” Matt replied.

“I'm going to go with no.”

Pidge gently pulled the knight from Runac's grasp and wiped the drool off on Matt's shirt. “Hey!”

Pidge stared contemplatively at the knight. There were tiny bite marks in it. “We'll have to get him something proper to teeth on, something we know is safe. I'll ask Allura about it.” She looked down at the board. “Matt's winning again?”

Sam gestured widely at the board. “It seems your brother has finally surpassed me.” Pidge and Matt shared a quick look, too subtle for Sam to pick up. Back home, Sam had been the reigning champion of the family. But despite time in a healing pod Sam remained aged and beaten down by his experiences with the galra. He wasn't as quick as he once was, in body or mind.

“So do we know what the deal with the Empress is yet, or is Shiro still holding his cards close?” Matt asked, staring down at the board.

Pidge nodded. “She's been sabotaging the Empire from within, but the details...” she trailed off, looking pointedly at the bundle of fur in Matt's lap.

Sam nodded wisely. “Well at least she got herself and these tykes to safety. That's all a parent wants.”

Pidge moved over and gave him a hug from the side. “Love you too Dad.”

* * *

Allura stepped out of the infirmary. “Krizan has pretty bad pod sickness, but that’s no surprise given how badly she was injured. She’s already starting to recover.”

“Can we see Mama now?” Z’kal asked.

Allura bent down and smiled at him. “Yes. And she wants to see you too.” Z’kal beamed at her and quickly tried to enter, but Allura stepped in his way. “Not so fast! Let’s go in together, shall we?”

Allura and Z’kal, followed by Shiro with Runac in his arms, entered the infirmary. Krizan lay on a recovery bed that had been pulled out from the wall. As soon as he saw her Z’kal raced towards the bed. “Mama!”

Krizan reached down to him. “Hello sweetie. Have you been a good boy?” Z’kal nodded enthusiastically. Krizan chuckled. “Of course you have. Maybe I should ask someone else.”

“There's been a few hiccups, but they've mostly been well-behaved,” Shiro informed her.

He set Runac down on the bed next to her. Runac promptly flopped over her stomach. “Mama.”

Krizan petted his hair. “I'm so glad you're both finally safe.” She looked up at Shiro. “I know you wouldn't have done anything else, but thank you for taking care of them.”

“It was our pleasure,” he said. “But we will need to talk about them, and a lot of other things, once you're recovered.”

Krizan’s eyes grew distant. “Of course.”

* * *

“...We managed to kill Witch Haggar and several others, I don't know how many, but it was a losing battle. I don't know what happened to the generals who helped me. Probably dead, or otherwise subject to the whims of the druids.”

Shiro winced. Everyone was in the common room listening to Krizan, even Lance, which was facilitated by Z'kal sleeping on the couch beside her. Runac was curled up in her lap, also fast asleep. “I'm impressed you managed to escape them.”

Krizan stroked Z'kal's head. “I was motivated.”

Lance elbowed Shiro, and they had a very short silent conversation. “About Z'kal...” Shiro trailed off.

Krizan looked up at him. “What about him?”

“His human side. One of our team members went missing before he was born. Keith is his human parent, isn't he?”

Krizan looked sharply at Coran. “You didn't tell them?”

“Well, uh, I wasn't sure if you wanted me to tell them!”

“Of _course_ I wanted you to tell them once the mission was over! Why wouldn't I?”

“Well, I, uh, wasn't sure, you see, of, well, if you wanted to stay,” Coran gestured vaguely at Krizan, “Uh, like this. For good.”

Krizan's face darkened. “Like hell I do.”

“Empress?” Allura asked. “What is Coran talking about?”

Krizan ducked her head and placed a kiss on Runac's temple. Then-

Hunk cussed loudly. Pidge dropped the piece of equipment she had been fiddling with while listening to Krizan. Everyone else was too frozen from the shock to react.

“It's me,” Keith said. “It's been me all along.”

Shiro pushed his shock aside, replacing it with anger. “ _What_ ,” he growled, “is the _meaning_ of this?”

“It's really me,” Keith insisted, and then, when he saw that Shiro still didn't believe him, “Do you remember when Obaasan gave me that kimono?”

Shiro remembered.

He remembered their mother coaxing Keith out of his room after helping him change. He remembered their grandmother cooing, saying that she just knew the colors would be perfect for him. He had seen Keith, and thought that he was pretty, but also that he had never seen anyone look more uncomfortable in their own skin before in his life. It was then that he had _known_.

It was Keith.

It really was Keith.

_Slap!_

“I deserved that,” Keith admitted.

Lance, bright red and furious, opened and closed his mouth a few times clearly trying to find the right words to adequately convey his emotions. He let out a frustrated growl, then smashed his lips into Keith's. He pulled back quickly. “What the _hell_ were you thinking?” _Slap!_ “You couldn't have left a _note?_ ”

“I deserved that too,” Keith replied.

Lance slammed his face into Keith's again, holding onto his head like he never wanted to let go. “You – fucking – asshole!”

Keith pushed Lance's face away from his, looked him in the eyes, and said, “I missed you too,” before kissing him much less violently and much more passionately.

“Well,” Pidge said awkwardly. “I'm glad we got that cleared up.” Shiro stood, smiling wider than he felt like he ever had before, but before he could go over to get between Lance and Keith there was a yowl, and then a cry of pain from Lance.

Z'kal had woken up. “Get away from Mama!”

“Z'kal!”

Lance, curled in on himself, glared at Z'kal. “I hate you too kid.”

Keith's shocked glare darted from Z'kal to Lance. “Lance!”

Z'kal looked from Lance to Keith, and jumped away so fast he fell over backwards. “Where's Mama?!”

Keith immediately shifted back into Krizan. “It's okay sweetie, I'm right here. Calm down.”

Z'kal's watery eyes were suspicious. “Really?”

Keith reached out to him. “Really Z'kal, it's okay. I'm right here.”

Runac burbled, opened his eyes, and looked between Keith and Z'kal. He also reached out. “Sh'kal.”

Z'kal slowly crawled forward, then curled up beside Keith, clearly satisfied. Then he glared at Lance and lay down the law. “Don't touch my mama.”

“You stop that!” Keith scolded.

Z'kal looked up at Keith. “But Mama, he killed Daddy.”

Keith chewed on his lip, clearly at a loss for words. “Well, yes. But only because he had to, because Daddy was going to kill him if he didn't. And I still want you to be nice to Lance, because Mama cares about him very much and I don't want you two fighting.”

Lance gave Z'kal a look. “Hear that, terror? No more attacking me.”

Z'kal hissed at him. “Lance, don't encourage him,” Keith said. “I already have two kids, I don't need you behaving like a third.”

Lance pointed dramatically at Keith. “And that's another thing we need to talk about! How you decided to go and get _married_ and have two point five kids and a white picket fence without me!”

Keith raised his eyebrow. “Are you saying that that would be acceptable _with_ you?”

Lance spluttered. Sam threw up his hands and left, muttering about being too old for this shit. Matt glanced at Pidge before limping after him. Z'kal looked thoughtful. “Mama, how much do you like Lance?”

Keith looked down at him, surprised. “Well, I like him a lot.”

“A lot a lot?”

“Yes Z'kal. A lot a lot.”

Z'kal looked at Lance and then back to Keith again. “Mama, did he kill Daddy because Daddy stole you from him?”

Shiro rested his face in his flesh hand. Pidge and Hunk looked at each other, then at Keith and Lance, who looked an awful lot like they were having a silent conversation. “...Yes,” Keith eventually went with. “Yes, and Lance was very angry about it. Because Lance is also your daddy, and he didn't want anyone else to be your daddy.”

There was a _thud_ as Lance fell flat on his butt. Keith gave him a sharp look. “Oh don't tell me you hadn't figured that out yet!”

Lance flailed his arms in Keith's general direction. “I was a bit too busy thinking about the whole you not being dead thing!”

“He looks just like you!”

Shiro clapped Lance on the shoulder. “Welcome to the family.” Lance let out a small, pained noise.

Hunk moved his hands as he spoke. “Does that mean that you're going to get, like, space married now? Wait, are you already space married? What constitutes space married?”

Keith's gaze was conflicted. “That's something we'll have to talk about. In _private_ ,” he tacked on once Pidge and Hunk started looking way too interested.

Allura finally spoke up. “So you conspired with Coran to go undercover as Zarkon's granddaughter? However did you pull that off?”

Keith and Coran looked at each other. “Coran found out that I'm not human when he was logging everyone's DNA in the ship's computer. He asked me about it and I swore him to secrecy. After he heard rumors that Zarkon was looking for Lotor and Krizan, that he wanted them back, we came up with the plan.”

Lance narrowed his eyes. “Wait, if you're an alien, how did you end up on Earth?”

Keith sighed. “My mother was an altean in disguise. Zarkon found out when I was born and airlocked her. My father was furious at him and scared for my own safety, and fled. We landed on Earth near an old shrine and my father convinced the old monk who tended it alone that we were youkai. My father died when I was still quite young, and the old monk a year later. By that time I could camouflage myself and I became a ward of the state.” He looked at Shiro. “You know the rest.”

Shiro frowned. “Zarkon found out right away, before they could hide you? How?”

Keith shrugged. “Hiding me from him was never an option. He wanted to see the latest scion of his house. It's hard to come up with a reason to say no to that.”

Somehow Lance, Pidge, and Hunk managed to shout in unison, “You're _actually_ Zarkon's grandchild?!”

“You're really Krizan?” Allura asked, barely more calmly.

Keith shook his head furiously. “No. Well, yes. Technically. Krizan is who I was born as, but that's not who I am. I'm Keith, not Krizan or anyone else.”

Shiro pulled Keith into a bear hug, mindful of the small children. “I know. And it's good to have you back.”

Keith melted into the hug. “I know. I've missed you all too. I'm glad that I can be Keith again.”

* * *

“We made a small person. Together.”

“Yes Lance.”

“I'm a _dad_.”

“ _Yes_ Lance,” Keith answered again with only a hint of exasperation in his voice. “We've covered this. About ten times in the past five minutes alone.”

Lance looked down in wonder at the sleeping four year old in his arms. “I just...”

Keith smiled softly. “Yeah Lance. I know. There's not a feeling in the universe like it, is there?”

Lance shook his head, his mouth taking on the same soft smile. “No. No there isn't.”

They stopped at two doors opposite each other in the hallway. Both glanced from door to door, at a loss. “I guess...” Keith sighed. “I guess it's time to have that talk.” He turned to face Lance head on. “We're not the same people we were five years ago.”

Lance bit his lip. “No. No we're not.”

“We can't pretend that everything that happened didn't happen. We can't just go back to the way things were.”

“No, we can't.”

Keith tilted his head. “But... that doesn't mean that we _can't_ end up in the same place we were before. We just have to take it slow. Get to know each other again. Make sure we both still want it.”

Lance nodded, a slightly dopey smile on his face. “Yeah. That sounds like a good idea.”

Keith narrowed his eyes. “Do I want to know what you're thinking right now?”

Lance winked. “Just the best ways to go about wooing you again!”

Keith freed a hand from carrying Runac and playfully punched him in the arm. “Sap.” He pressed the button to open the door of the room that had been his before he had moved in with Lance. “Help me put them to bed?” he asked, nodding his head towards the bedroom. Then, without waiting for a reply, “Oh, and do you have a pair of scissors?”

Lance nodded. “Sure, why?”

Keith grabbed a fistful of hair. Back in his human guise now, it was jet black and fell to the small of his back. “I need this gone _now_. Figure you'd probably do a better job than if I did it myself with a knife.”

Lance nodded again. “Sure thing.”

“Also, I want my jacket back."

“You abandoned this poor jacket-”

“ _Lance_.”

“Whatever makes you happy baby.”

* * *

Keith sat down in the pilot's chair. It felt like coming home again and seeing an old friend all at once. He reached for the controls, relishing in the familiarity of gripping them. “Miss me?”

Inside his mind, the Red Lion roared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- While Lance is the Red Paladin, Allura drives Blue. After the Holts are rescued Coran wants Matt to pilot Blue instead, but Allura, Shiro, and all three Holts vehemently disagree.  
> \- We never find out what Zarkon's plan for Z'kal is because he's never the POV character. His initial idea is to let the Paladins know he exists and they'll get suspicious of each other (who knocked up a galra?) and not be able to form Voltron. This doesn't work because they have a perfectly reasonable explanation that he isn't aware of, namely that Keith is missing.  
> \- Z'kal has pointed altean ears, purple hair, Lance's eyes as previously mentioned and purple and brown skin that functions much the same way as the Siamese cat fur colors. The colder parts of his body are purple and warmer parts are brown. But it also taps into what remains of his altean shapeshifting DNA, and Keith can always tell when he's running a fever or if he needs another coat. He's not hairy now, but he's going to come out of puberty looking EXTREMELY virile.  
> \- Runac is just a purple fuzzball.  
> \- Not Pictured: Keith's trip to the space dentist due to the fact that he's missing like six teeth now.  
> \- Also Not Pictured: The Galra Empire turning into a theocratic dictatorship and then collapsing under its own weight.  
> \- Also Also Not Pictured: The Druids slandering Krizan and stripping her of legitimacy by blaming all the mysterious deaths of the past five years on her without ever actually realizing that she did in fact commit most of them, and causing her to go down in galra history as a crazy axe murderer.

**Author's Note:**

> Join me on Tumblr: codefiant.tumblr.com


End file.
